PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #29: Spatial Ecology and Disturbance Ecology.
Presiding: J. Ludwig
Tuesday, August 6. 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Coconino Meeting Room, TCC.

Tiger rattlesnake spatial ecology: A five year study.

Goode, Matthew^*,1, ¹ University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

ABSTRACT- I studied tiger rattlesnakes (Crotalus tigris) for the past five years in and adjacent to Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. I used GIS analyses to describe and quantify tiger rattlesnake spatial ecology. Using radiotelemetry, I made 2640 observations on a total of 35 individuals (15 females and 20 males; 30 adults and 5 juveniles) at two sites in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains. Tiger rattlesnakes typically spend the winter and early spring on rocky slopes, move into nearby washes in late spring and early summer, exhibit a dramatic increase in activity during wet summer, and return to hibernacula in fall. I observed substantial variation in location and use of hibernacula based on gender. On average, male tiger rattlesnakes have larger home ranges than females and they move farther and more often than females. In general, tiger rattlesnakes have well-defined home ranges, regularly returning to activity centers throughout the course of the active season and in successive years. However, I observed significant year-to-year variation in movement patterns and home range size, which were apparently correlated with changes in rainfall and reproductive activity. I conducted an intensive study of daily activity patterns during the 2000 active season. Results indicate that tiger rattlesnake daily activity is bimodal, characterized by periods of increased activity in the morning and then again in the evening. I discuss management implications of tiger rattlesnake spatial ecology in the context of rattlesnake management in urbanized and urbanizing areas.

KEY WORDS: tiger rattlesnake, home range, movement patterns, ArcView/GIS analyses